365 Reflections

Is it for a better sense of self? A richer, fuller experience in life to live without regret? Is it for the sake of neighbors and friends? To be upstanding in the community? Is it for your own personal conscience to be freed from the disparaging nature of sin? What is your motivation for holiness? I'm afraid we often have the wrong one, which usually leads us to a self-righteous Pharisaical hypocrisy where in "everything we do is done for men to see." Paul, on the other hand, calls the believers of Corinth to come out from the idolatry of the unbelievers in 2 Corinthians 6:14 (ESV), saying "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" Then he tells us why we should seek holiness, or separateness from the worldly influence of people apart from God... 2 Corinthians 7:1 (ESV) Since we have these promises , beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from ever...

What is your commendation list? That little pile of accomplishments on which you are basing your value and worth in life? What does it look like? Are you proud of it? Are you still working for more of it... hoping and longing to cap it all off with a spectacular grand finale? Here is Paul's commendation list: 2 Corinthians 6:3–10 (ESV) We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet no...

2 Corinthians 5:17–19 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. "Self" is the new religion. You have have heard of #selfies, the hashtag designation of the social media world. It's basically a cheap way to buy self-adulation. Post a self portrait on your favorite social networking site and count the likes as jewels in your self-oriented crown. Self is the new religion. Perhaps this is why "being a good person" ranks so highly as the often thought "way to get to heaven." Of course! Who makes the opinion of you being good? You. Who judges you? You do. Who tells you what is good and what is not? Why, it'...

2 Corinthians 4:8–11 (ESV) We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. Following Jesus is easy if you don't actually do anything He wants you to do. If you don't bother to share your faith, it's easy. If you don't care about others, it's easy. If you don't serve and minister to people who may disregard you and dismiss you, it's easy. If you don't offend someone with the truth, it's easy. If you don't give sacrificially of your resources and means to make an unseen but eternal difference in the kingdom or someone else's life, it's easy. If you never let the Holy Spirit ...

2 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV)   But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. Paul is in his typical defense of ministry mode with the Corinthians throughout chapter 4. They thought he lost his passion (verse 1), they considered others with "letters of recommendation" much more valuable than he, and some even claimed he was dishonest and devious in his delivery of the Word of God... That sounds laughable.  Yet we often let the laughable criticisms bug us the most. But Paul is certain to point out - he never tampered with God's Word of truth. The temptation of every preacher is to "spice" up God's Word to make it interesting. While I'm all for making the Word come alive in exposition and creativity mixed with passion, we must be careful to draw a line. At some point ...

2 Corinthians 3:16–18 (ESV) But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Paul is spending a considerable amount of time talking about Moses' veil and what it meant. When Moses came down from the mountain after speaking with God Exodus tells us his face shone with the glory of God. But after he spoke with them, he would put a veil over his face. Why? Because the glory would fade after a while. Then he would go back up and his face would glow again, he would teach the people and then his face would fade and the veil would be put back. He was kind of like a glow in the dark light.  Why did this happen? Paul tells us it was God's way of saying everything Moses was instituting was from ...

2 Corinthians 2:12–14 (ESV) When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. Paul writes something incredibly interesting here. An open door for Him in the Lord (preaching and teaching) in Troas was given to him. Yet the circumstance was uncomfortable. Why? His partner and friend Titus was not there.   How true it is that we need our brothers/sisters in Christ!  Do you want to be effective for the Lord? Get some brothers in the battlefield. You can't do this alone. Think about this... Paul who lived and died to preach the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:16) couldn't find comfort in preaching the Gospel without his friend and partner Titus. Do you...